


On Donut Holes

by WeezlBot



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, Nightmares, Not much plot, friends having fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-20 09:24:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19989811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeezlBot/pseuds/WeezlBot
Summary: A sequel to Infirmary. You don't need to read Infirmary first in order to understand this, though.Will have multiple chapters. Pretty fluffy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Will finally gets some rest. When the poor boy finally wakes up, his friends have a surprise for him.

Will had had a few days to rest. They were his first in a very long time, and frankly, he was happy to have them. He hadn’t slept for more than two or three hours at a time after the battle with Gaea. There weren’t too many dead, but there were an assload of injured. It had taken a week to heal them all. The one upside was that his healing prowess had earned him the respect of the Roman healers (they had brought two, both Apollo kids). In fact, they had offered to negotiate for him a spot in the College of New Rome to study medicine. He had said that he was only 15, too young for college, and besides, he had a gut feeling that he would be needed here for some time longer. However, he did say that he’d get in touch with them when he needed college, which he figured would be in another two years or so.

He had been sleeping, on and off, for about three days. Austin and Kayla hadn’t disturbed him, and neither had Lou or Cecil or any of his other friends. It was almost like they knew that he was running on fumes, even though he had made a point to never tell anyone when he was working without sleep. He didn’t want anyone to worry about him. He, as the healer, was supposed to be the healthiest, strongest person in camp. He couldn’t let anyone see otherwise. 

He had finally found the energy to sit up and shower after three days in bed. It was the early morning, and he was going to be a little late for breakfast. It didn’t matter much, though. Breakfast lasted an hour, maybe more. He’d have plenty of time to eat.

When he finally staggered into the camp main, there were three people in the dining pavilion. He assumed that everyone else had already gotten breakfast and left. The only three people left were Sherman Yang and Miranda Gardiner, who were sort of half-cuddling at a table over some waffles, and Nico di Angelo, who was at the hearth, seemingly deep in prayer. Will decided not to disturb him. He grabbed some toast and coffee and walked to a spot on the edge of the forest where he would sometimes meet friends. No one was there, which he thought was unusual. He quietly began to eat his breakfast, deciding to wait on his friends. 

Sure enough, Lou and Cecil showed up about five minutes later. Cecil had a pool cue and some plastic stripping, the kind that you would race model cars on. Lou had a large paper bag. “Oh my gods, it’s awake!” Lou shouted, putting a hand over her mouth and pointing at Will. “Quick, Cecil, snap a blurry picture!”

“You know, I’m so glad to have such loving, caring, supportive friends. You guys never fail to make me feel good,” Will snarked, scowling at Lou.

She laughed and knelt in the dirt next to Will. “C’mon, Will. Don’t lose your sense of humor over this. Besides, Cecil and I came up with a cool game and we could use a third player.”

“What’s the game?” Will asked, cautiously.

“Donut golf!” Lou and Cecil responded. Cecil began to make a ramp out of the plastic pieces and Lou opened the bag that she had been holding. “Cecil will shoot first, I’ll referee and keep score. Will, do you want to be the hole?”

Will smiled. “Of course! Is that even a question for you?”

Lou playfully slapped his shoulder and said “Do you want a pink frosted, a chocolate, a glazed, an apple cinnamon or a donut hole?”

“I’ll just take a glazed,” Will laughed. “By the way, why are we using a _pool_ cue if the name of the game is donut _golf?”_

“Fine, Mr. Picky, it’s donut _pool._ You happy?” Lou stuck her tongue out at Will.

“Yeah, that’s better,” Will said, smiling. 

“I’ve got the track set up,” Cecil cut in. “Will, lie down at the end of it and open your mouth. I’ll shoot the donut in, okay?”

Will did as he was told. Cecil readied the pool cue. “Now, donuts are funny shapes to hit, so I’m not sure entirely how this will work…” he mumbled, almost as if he was talking to himself.

“Just shoot, Cecil! That’s why we got the holes,” Lou replied. “Donut holes are round.”

Cecil tapped the donut with the cue. It rolled, almost stopped, picked up speed on the ramp and Will pushed himself up on his elbow and caught it in his mouth.

“Good boy!” Lou laughed. “And good job to you too, Cecil. That was a pretty good shot. It’s Will’s turn to shoot now. Cecil can referee. I’ll be the hole and I’d like an apple cinnamon, by the way.”

Will fished an appropriate donut out of the hole and put it on the track. He had only played pool before maybe once, so he just sort of fudged it at the tap. Apparently, though, he was too rough. That tended to be an issue for him. The donut flew up and into the air upon coming off the ramp. 

Lou raised her finger and the donut “bounced” into her mouth. She sat up. “You, Solace,” she said, through a mouthful of donut, “...are a terrible shot.”

“Yeah,” Cecil replied, “...but you still cheated, Lou. Let the donut land where it lands.”

Lou scowled. “Shut up, Cecil. It’s your turn to be hole.” She grabbed the cue from Will’s hands and Will scooted over and sat next to the bag.

Cecil got into position. “Gimme a chocolate, Blackstone.”

“A’ight, Markowitz. You’ll get your chocolate,” Lou replied. “And don’t call me by my last name.” Will passed her a chocolate and she put it on the track. She shot it- and missed entirely. 

Will laughed. “Now who’s the terrible shot?”

“Shut up and get me that donut, I’m trying again!”

Will did as he was told. This time around, Lou did hit her target. Cecil brushed off the grass that was stuck to the donut and ate it, chuckling lowly.

They took a few more turns, then Lou complained that she was feeling sick, and they stopped. There were still like six donuts left (two pink frostings, two glazed, an apple cinnamon and a chocolate), plus the bag of donut holes. Will figured he’d bring them into the Apollo cabin and let Austin and Kayla find them. They wouldn’t last long after that.

They made their way back to camp and met Kayla walking the opposite way. “Hey, Kay! Wanna donut?” Will asked. 

“Oh, uh… sure!” Kayla took a pink frosted donut out of the bag and smiled. “I was trying to find you guys. Lou in particular, though. Are you… are you free to talk?” 

_Damn._ Will could never quite get over how good his little sister was at pleading with her eyes. Lou smiled. “Yeah, of course. What do you need?” 

“Hold on,” Will cut in. “Before you go off with Lou to talk, where’s Austin?”

“Where he always is. In the amphitheatre, playing his saxophone.”

“Alright. Just checking,” Will replied. Then the two girls split off from the boys and walked in the opposite direction, towards the cabins. 

Cecil shrugged. “Well, gotta go, bro. I’ll see you around.”

“A’ight,” Will smiled. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“You too,” Cecil responded. He followed the girls towards the cabins. 

Will went back to the dining pavilion to return his breakfast plate. When he got there, the only other person there was Nico di Angelo, who was warming his hands on the central hearth. Will put the plate in the pile of dirty dishes and sat next to Nico. “Hey.” 

Nico looked up warily, then seemed to relax a tiny bit when he saw that it was only Will. “Hello.”

“Have you… have you been alone here all morning?” Will asked, concerned.

Nico shrugged. “No. Lady Hestia was here for a few minutes. Chiron stopped by too.”

“Lady Hestia?” Will asked. Having a goddess randomly show up at camp was definitely not unheard of, but they often made more of a scene when they came around. “She was so quiet, I never noticed.”

“Mm. She’s not a very… showy goddess. She’s quiet and peaceful,” Nico murmured. “She’s goddess of home and the hearth. She doesn’t like making a fuss.”

Will thought for a moment and smiled a little. “Is that why you like her so much?”

Nico nodded. “She’s really actually very lonely. She’s also around here about as often as Dionysus is, looking for someone to come and talk to her.”

“Does… does she have any luck?” Will asked. He was starting to feel sorry for her, and he never felt sorry for gods. They had it all as a rule. But… he could empathize with feeling like no one wanted to associate with you. Not as much as Nico, but still…

“Not very much. Percy never talked to her until I introduced them.”

“Is… is “Percy” synonymous with “everybody” in your mind?” Will asked, smirking.

Nico scowled. “No! No, of course not. I just used him as an example. She says herself that no one talks to her.”

“Oh. Well… I’m sorry I came in too late to meet her. I feel really bad for her,” Will replied.

“Mm. Well, I’ll run the message to her next time I see her.” 

There was a long pause. Nico took a bite of bread. 

“Not to be hypocritical, but is that all you’re having? Toast?” Will asked.

Nico scowled at Will. “And why are you critiquing my breakfast?”

“I’m not. I just think you should have some sausages or something to go with it as well. It’d be healthier.”

“You only had toast yourself. You don’t have any right to be criticizing me,” Nico grumped. “And I know for a fact that you haven’t eaten in three days.”

“All right, all right. You’re just too skinny. You need protein, that’s all. You may be eating now, but your body’s still recovering from the effects of malnourishment. It’s more important now than ever that you eat a balanced diet,” Will lectured. “I don’t have to watch _myself_ so carefully because I never got that underweight. You understand?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not a jerk for going so deep into my personal life. You understand?”

“I’m the camp medic. It’s my job to keep you from dying, especially by something as preventable as malnourishment.”

“I know that you’re the medic, Will, but I don’t have to answer to you regardless of your status in the camp. In the end, I answer to myself and _only_ myself. I don’t even really have to answer to my father. Can you understand that?”

Will gave him a long look. “I understand. But when you’re on your deathbed at fourteen years old, don’t ever say that no one tried to save you, because someone did. Several someones did. Can _you_ understand _that?”_

Nico scowled and was silent for a long time. “I’m not going to die.”

“Good. Glad to hear it,” Will replied with a huff.

“No, seriously, I’m not. I could feel when I was close to death. I’m nowhere near it now.” 

Will thought for a moment. _That has to be terrifying. Feeling yourself close to death, knowing you could die at any moment and there’d be no way to prevent it… that has to be awful. At least other demigods… don’t often have to know too far in advance._ “How… how far in advance can you sense that a death is coming?”

Nico thought for a moment. “... It takes a few different forms. I can sense that someone has a _possibility_ of dying in a given situation, but I usually only get a few days’ advance warning there before the event that they may or may not die in actually happens. However, if there’s a 100% chance of the person dying, then I get more advance notice. My record is three weeks.”

“... So you can, in effect, predict emergencies?”

Nico shrugged. “I guess.”

“Can… do you get much warning with… your own?” Will asked tentatively.

“Possibility? No. 100% chance? I don’t know. I’m not dead yet. Ask Hazel next time she visits.”

“That’ll be one hell of an awkward conversation, considering she and I have never really met,” Will replied.

Nico shrugged. “Never mind. I’ll ask her.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

Nico cleared his throat and continued. “I can sense when I’m in a situation where I could die, but at that point it’s usually too late to really fix anything.”

“Oh. Okay. I understand.”

There was another awkward silence. Nico swallowed the last of his toast. Will kept looking at him. “What were you doing earlier when I first came by? You looked like- were you praying?”

“Yeah, or… well… I was doing sacrifices. That’s all.”

“Oh. To Hades?” Will asked.

“And Hestia. I do sacrifices to her, too, just as an act of kindness and to let her know that she’s not being forgotten.”

“Which is a goddess’s greatest fear, right?” Will replied.

“Mm. Yeah. Being forgotten.” Nico yawned. “Well, this has been a lovely chat, but I need to go. I promised Chiron that I’d attend some stupid lesson after breakfast.”

“What’s the lesson on?” Will asked.

“Math. Chiron wants me to get a base education at least while I’m here, since I can’t really go to a normal school nor do I want to.”

“Oh. Well, how long is it supposed to last?”

Nico shrugged and stretched. “About an hour? I dunno.”

“Cool. Wanna hang out later or something? We could… do you play any instruments?” Will asked.

“No,” Nico responded. “Do you?”

“I play a little guitar, but not very much. What do _you_ like to do? I’m cool with doing really anything,” Will smiled.

“... I’m guessing you’re not really into swordplay?”

“No, not really. We could… we could hang out by the climbing wall,” Will suggested.

Nico thought for a moment. “That sounds okay.”

“Good! You wanna… you wanna find me in the infirmary when you’re done?” Will asked.

Nico faced Will and a tiny, tenuous smile spread across his face. It made Will melt inside. “That sounds good,” Nico said.

They stood up. “One more question before you go. Would you like a donut? We have glazed donuts, chocolate frosted donuts, pink frosted donuts with sprinkles, some apple cinnamon donuts and some donut holes.”

“Donut… _holes?_ Like… the empty space in a donut’s middle?” Nico’s lips quirked up in amusement. “You’re funny, you know that?”

“No, no,” Will chuckled. He held one up for Nico to see. “This is a donut hole.”

“That’s stupid. It should be called a donut _ball.”_

“Okay, whatever, Mr. Fusspot! What kind of donut do you want?” Will asked, annoyed and amused.

“... Chocolate frosted,” Nico answered. 

“You got it!” Will smiled. He gave Nico the donut and Nico left, munching the treat. Will watched him go. 

Nico was rehabilitating nicely, Will thought. He still had nightmares, terrible nightmares, but he had gotten better at coming to Will for help with them. After Will had helped Nico with his nightmares in the infirmary, Nico had started coming to Will for help with them on occasion. Will didn’t mind. He was already used to helping Kayla with her nightmares. What was one more person? Besides, whatever was needed to heal somebody, Will would do. He knew that for a fact. So he would heal Nico, best as he could. 


	2. On A Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter of this. Will and Nico have their meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit long

Will made his way to the infirmary. Kayla was already there, pacing it steadily. She turned to Will and smiled. “Lou’s gonna try out another nightmare protection spell and I’m gonna be her guinea pig!” She was excited. 

“Mm. Be careful, okay? I don’t want it to backfire and hurt you,” Will replied. 

Kayla nodded solemnly. “I understand. Will you stay by my bed as we do the experiment?”

“I’ll try, but I promised to meet Nico in an hour. Depending on when this happens, I may have to get Austin to relieve me. Is that okay?”

“Oh, it’s happening later tonight. Just wanted to tell you now because…”

“You’re excited, of course,” Will interrupted.

Kayla smiled shyly, brushing her hair out of her face. “Of course. If it works, then it’ll be… you know.”

“The best thing that ever happened to you?”

“More like the best thing that ever happened to _you,”_ Kayla said, her eyes downcast.

Will hugged her. “Darlin’, you know I don’t mind helping you if you need it. You’re my sister.”

Kayla nodded, keeping her face buried in Will’s chest. “Thank you, but… are you sure you never minded?”

“No. I never minded. And Austin never did either. I know that for a fact. You’re our sister and we love you. We’ll help you.” Will squoze her and she sniffled, which made Will’s big heart sink. Kayla rarely cried, and if she was, she was in a lot of pain. “We’ll help you.”

“I’m sorry. I-I’m… I’m sorry I’ve been such a burden on you.” Her voice was cracking. 

Will squoze her tightly. “You aren’t a burden, darlin’, you’re wonderful.”

Kayla nuzzled his chest, trying to dry her face. “Thank you. I needed… I needed that.”

Will kissed the top of her head, gently. “Glad to provide.”

Kayla smiled at him, but it was a sad, stifled smile. He held her for a few more minutes before Lou Ellen walked in. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah. I think she just needs a hug,” Will murmured. 

Lou came over and hugged her from the back, gently. “It’s okay, dude. It’s gonna be okay.”

Kayla pulled away and dried her face. “I know.” 

She sat down on the bed nearest Will and Lou. There was a pause, and Lou sat down next to her and put her arm around her shoulder. Kayla leaned in a little bit and asked “Will, what should I do for the rest of the morning? Do you need help with anything, or should I go practice my archery?” 

Will smiled. “You can do whatever you want, Kayla. Whatever you need to feel happy is what I want you to do today.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I’ll go do that.” She got up and left. Will followed her with his eyes until she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

An hour passed. Will was peacefully studying from a medical textbook when he realized suddenly that Nico was a half-hour late for their previously discussed meeting. _Maybe he forgot. I shouldn’t really leave the infirmary, but everyone knows where to find me if they need me, so maybe I’ll go track him down._ Will stood up, stretched, put the book carefully back on the shelf and left the infirmary. He put a note on the door reading _Gone to find di Angelo. Be back in a bit. If this is an emergency, call Chiron to help the person who got hurt and send someone to find me around camp. 💛 Will._

He left the infirmary, stretching in the cool early-fall air. He shook his head and took a heavy sigh, shaking off the heaviness that came over him when he studied. _If I were Nico, where would I be? Hades cabin? Swordfighting arena? I don’t think he’d be in the amphitheatre or the archery range. Yeah, I think the swordfighting arena is a good place to start._

Meanwhile, in the swordfighting arena, Nico was disemboweling tackling dummies. His whole body burned from exertion; his lungs were about to split, his heart was pounding out of his chest. His eyes felt like globes of salt; the sting was merciless. He was busy ripping his sword out of the chest of a dummy when he felt a cool hand on his shoulder and he whipped around, swinging wildly.

“Whoa! It’s just me! Don’t hit me with that thing!” Will jumped away from Nico. Nico looked up at Will. Will immediately noticed that Nico’s chest was heaving and his hair was soaking wet with sweat. His shirt was clinging to his chest and his eyes had a crazy glint in them. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine.” Nico looked back down and slicked the hair out of his eyes. “I’m sorry I forgot to find you.”

“No, man, it’s fine. All I’m asking at this point is that you tell me if you’re gonna ditch me and go do something else, that okay?” Will requested, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. 

Nico nodded. He slumped against the wall of the arena and closed his eyes. “Okay. We can still hang out. It’s only ten, isn’t it?”

“Ten-thirty, actually. How about you shower up and then come find me?”

Nico nodded. “Where should I find you?”

Will sighed heavily. “I should return to the infirmary. How about you find me there?”

Nico nodded. “Okay. Will do.” Nico stood up heavily and walked away, dragging his feet. _Poor guy’s exhausted,_ Will thought. _I was gonna see if he wanted to climb on the climbing wall or shoot some hoops, but he seems so tired. Maybe I’ll take him to the canoe lake and we can just skip some stones and relax a little. Yeah, I think that would be nice._

A half-hour later, Nico wandered into the infirmary, looking cleaner and a little less tired. “Hey. I’m here, just like I said I would be.”

Will looked over and smiled. “Hey! You look… better.”

“Oh… thanks.” Nico replied, surprised. 

“I mean, you didn’t look bad, only really strung-out. You are okay, right?”

Nico nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Is that a real fine, or a ‘get the medic out of my hair’ fine?” Will asked, smiling.

The corner of Nico’s lip quirked up, but there was no light in his eyes. “Both.”

“Both, huh? Okay. How about we go over to the canoe lake and you tell me what’s bringing you down?”

Nico looked down. “... We can go hang out by the canoe lake, but I don’t want to talk about feelings.”

Will smiled. “I understand. It’s hard. I know.”

“You really don’t, but okay. Let’s go.”

“Okay, man. I just need to write a note for the others so that they know where I am.” Will pulled a sticky note off of a pad in his desk and began to write. _Went to the canoe lake with Nico di Angelo. If it’s an emergency, come and find me there. 💖 Will._

“Why do you sign off with a heart?” Nico asked as they started walking. 

“I don’t know. I just like to do it,” Will replied.

“But it makes you look so _gay,”_ Nico complained. “Aren’t you worried that someone would accuse you of being gay for it?”

“Nico, I _am_ gay and everyone knows it by now. And from what I heard from Annabeth, you’re not quite straight yourself.”

Nico started and looked warily at Will. “What did Annabeth tell you?”

“She told me that you used to have a crush on her boyfriend, and that you told them yourself,” Will said.

“Oh. Well…” Nico blushed deeply. “Well, that is… true, so…”

“Oh. Well, at least you’ve come to terms with it,” Will mumbled, slouching a little. 

“Why are you upset?” Nico asked. 

“Well… if I may say it in this public place known as the Big House back foyer, I like you a lot.”

Nico blushed harder than Will thought was possible. “I’m aware,” he mumbled. “You told me on my third night in the infirmary, remember?”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry. I was really tired then. I hadn’t slept in days. Things just kind of come out when I’m tired,” Will huffed.

“Like you?” Nico asked, giving that little lip quirk again. 

Will started. He never thought that Nico would make that type of joke. “Oh, ha ha ha. Like I haven’t heard that a thousand times.”  
Nico looked up with an expression Will never thought he would see on the other boy’s face. “Sorry.”

“Y-you’re smiling!” Will gasped. “Holy crap, you’re actually smiling!”

“Yeah, and it makes my face hurt.” The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. “So… changing the subject, you talk to Annabeth?”

“Yeah. She’s a friend of mine. We met when we were doing infirmary work together a year and a quarter before the Battle of the Labyrinth,” Will said. 

“Oh. Okay.”

There was a pause. Once they were outside, Will led Nico to a small group of trees by the canoe lake. “This place is private.”

Nico ducked through the trees and joined Will on the lake’s bank. He looked around. “You can’t even see this place from the shore, can you?”  
Will shook his head. “No. That’s why I like it.” He sat down on the ground by the lake and took off his shoes, dangling his feet into the water. “Here, sit down.”

Nico sat. “So, why do you want to talk to me?”

“Well, there was no one reason. I just wanted to hang out with you. Also, I was curious about why you ditched me earlier.”

Nico’s shoulders slumped. “I was upset, that’s all. Nothing to do with you.”

“Upset? About what?” Will asked. His voice sounded different than normal, gentler and softer. 

“Nothing. It’s not important,” Nico grumbled quietly.

“You don’t want to talk, do you?” Will asked.

“You’re right. I don’t. At least, not about this. We could talk about something else, though,” Nico suggested.

Will sighed and lay down on the grassy bank, crossing his arms over his stomach. “I mean, what do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know. Anything but feelings.”

“Can we talk about… my feelings?” Will asked.

“I mean, sure?” Nico said. “Just so long as it’s not a trap to get me to talk about _my_ feelings.”

“Okay,” Will said peacefully. The two boys looked out across the lake, watching the canoes. As they watched, a canoe sloughed off the main mass and began to paddle towards them on the bank. Will sat up and craned his neck to try and see who it was while Nico shrank into himself and looked at the ground. Will recognized the figure immediately. “Nico, it’s okay, it’s just Cecil.”

“Only him? No one else?” Nico asked, picking at his jeans. 

“Only him. And don’t pick at your jeans, you’ll ruin them.”

Nico tried to pick at the denim more discreetly. “That’s good.”

Will stood up as Cecil paddled in. “Cecil! You okay?”

Cecil threaded his way between two rocks and grabbed Will’s outstretched hand. The canoe was wedged in well between the rocks and Will grabbed it with his other hand. Cecil crawled onto the outcrop and flopped down awkwardly. “Hey, Neeks.”

“What the hell did you call me?” Nico asked. 

“A nickname?” Cecil responded.

Will finished tying the canoe to the rock and sat back down. “What nickname?” 

“Neeks,” Cecil replied, laughing. 

“Okay. That’s not such a bad nickname, is it?” Will asked.

“If that’s not a bad nickname, what is?” Nico snapped.

“Sunflower, sun _fairy,_ flower boy, glitter boy, manfairy…”

“Okay, okay! I get it!” Nico shot.

“All my nicknames from middle school, by the way,” Will shot back.

Nico didn’t reply. Cecil looked out at the lake. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important. I’m here because I’d like to talk to Nico for a few minutes.”

“If Nico’s okay with it, then so am I,” Will said. 

“I… I guess I’m okay with it,” Nico replied hesitantly. 

“Okay. Let’s take the canoe, okay? I don’t want to talk in front of Will,” Cecil said. He stood up and grabbed his paddle. “You get in first.”

Nico stood. He looked up at Cecil, then down at the canoe, then up at Cecil again. _I only met this dude last week, but I’m pretty sure I could kick his ass, so it’s okay._ Nico picked his way into the canoe and sat down. Cecil jumped in, tipped the boat and sent a rush of water flooding into the canoe before ultimately tumbling out, knocking his head on a rock and plunging into the lake. 

“Cecil!” Will shouted, leaning down and reaching for his friend. 

Cecil surfaced a second later, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m okay!”

“Cecil, you idiot. Get in this canoe or I’m grabbing the paddle and leaving without you,” Nico threatened. 

“Fine! Geez, why are you so negative? Just learn to have fun for once in your life, di Angelo!” Cecil snapped, flopping heavily into the canoe. He grabbed the paddle, pushed off and turned to Will. “Bye, buddy!”

“Bye!” Will responded, waving happily.

Cecil paddled in silence until he reached a spot that was pretty much in the middle of the lake and far away from the other canoers. “So, I’m guessing you’re curious about why I wanted to talk to you.”

“I’m dying to know,” Nico responded sarcastically.

“Mhm. Anyway, don’t think I don’t know what’s going on between you and Will,” Cecil said as he stowed the paddle.

Nico’s heart stopped. “I-I didn’t think that there was anything going on between me and Will.”

“Look, Angelface-”  
“ _What_ did you just call me?”

“Angelface. Look, Angelface, don’t think I don’t know that Will’s crushing on you, because he is. Hardcore. Now, I’m not in his head nor yours but I’m pretty sure that his feelings are returned. And if they are, I have a few things to say to you.”

Nico was pretty sure he was about to faint. “Wh-what?”

“You better not try anything funny, okay? You’re so modest that I don’t think you would but then again, I don’t know you that well, so just don’t. I’m fucking sick and tired of seeing Will get shit on by the people that are supposed to care about him and I won’t stand for it anymore. So if you’re gonna be friends or boyfriends or whatever with him, you better treat him like the king of the world. Okay?” Cecil snarled.

“O-okay? But… we aren’t… Cecil, I think… I think…”

“You think what? Seriously, I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

“I think you’re overthinking this. I know that Will has feelings for me. He told me so himself. But there isn’t any of… what you think that’s going on. Really, we’ve been very good. We haven’t done anything… like _that,”_ Nico said distastefully.

Cecil paused. “... I’m more surprised you didn’t deny that on the basis that you’re not gay. Makes me think.”

“Have fun with that. Might be your first time.”

“Fuck you, di Angelo. All I’m saying is if someone accuses you of being in a homosexual relationship, the first denial is usually ‘But I’m not gay!’ and if it’s anything else it looks a little suspicious, that’s all.”

Nico pursed his lips. Cecil had a point. “... Understood.”

Cecil didn’t say anything for a few minutes. “... Look, man, it’s not a problem if you are gay for Will. In fact, it’d be awesome. It’d make him happier than he’s been in years.” 

“... Really? Why would _I_ make him happy and not… like… a good Hermes or Athena kid? Or even an Aphrodite kid?” Nico protested.

“Okay, one, I don't have any gay brothers as far as I know. Two, his last boyfriend was an Aphrodite kid- the only boy in that cabin, by the way- and it was a trainwreck. And three, there’s only one male Athena kid and he’s an aromantic.”

“Just like his mom. Anyway, there are many other gods that have a few kids every year and could provide him a suitable-”

“No. Nico, he likes _you,”_ Cecil cut in. “Not an Aphrodite kid, not Malcolm Pace the lone son of Athena, not any of my siblings, not Pollux or Damien or Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez or Clovis from Hypnos- who is probably gonna hook up with Mitchell from Aphrodite, but that’s beside the point- or any of the Hypnos kids or any of them.”

“What about Romans and Hephaestus kids?”

“I don’t think he’s got anything for the Romans. I mean, he’s polite and respectful to them of course but there’s nothing there romantically, you know? And as for the Hephaestus kids… he actually does have a pretty big weak spot for them, but the one he really liked that’s still alive won’t even give him the time of day. Nico, you’re his best shot at love.”

“Who was the dead one he liked?”

Cecil sighed heavily and looked over the side like he was considering drowning himself. “You’re impossible, you know that? It was Beckendorf- and by the way, he’s also straight.”

Nico looked down. “So… there’s literally no other suitable gay male at camp but me and Will.”

“Aha!” Cecil pointed. “I knew I could get you to admit you were gay!”

“Okay, okay! But my point still stands. Also, don’t tell anyone about it, okay?”

Cecil shrugged. “Okay, whatever. But I do want to make light of the fact that I can name at least one other living, gay, non-traitor male at camp, and that’s Mitchell from Aphrodite.”

“Will’s ex. Got it,” Nico mumbled. “I feel really bad that I’m his only option. Maybe tell him to join a dating service or something, if they have such a thing for people like him.”

Cecil huffed. “You’re hopeless, di Angelo. You’re completely missing my point. Point is, he loves you AND ONLY YOU. Understand?”

Nico looked at the planks of the canoe. “... Not really.”

Cecil rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay. My only point is, please treat Will well. He deserves to be treated well. You understand?”

Nico nodded. “No, that I understand. I’m glad you care so much for Will. I don’t think I’ve been treating him poorly at all. I mean, we quibble, but I haven’t been particularly terrible to him.”

Cecil nodded. “Well, as long as Will’s happy, it’s okay. You two would be good for each other, actually. You’re about the same age, he likes you a lot, your powers complement each other well…”

“What are you _talking_ about?” Nico asked incredulously. 

“Hear me out here. He’s a healer, right? He sees death all the time. You’re a child of Hades. You see death all the time as well. He tries to prevent death and you try to assist after. You break shit and he fixes the shit.”

“I mean… okay… if you want to be crude about it,” Nico said. “And you do sound crude when you swear like that.”

“Shut up and stop being a prude, di Angelo,” Cecil mumbled. “Not all of us had the same sheltered-ass upbringings that you did.”

Nico looked down. “... I’m sorry.”

Cecil sighed. “It’s fine. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings and shit. I just… don’t want Will to get hurt again and I went off on a tangent because of it.”

“You’re fine. Also, you’ve said that like, five times.”

“And yet it’s still extremely valid,” Cecil replied. 

There was a slight pause. “I won’t hurt him, I promise.”

Cecil nodded. “Good. Anyway, that was what was I wanted to talk to you about, so would you like me to take you back to Will?”

Nico nodded. “I guess I’d like that.”

Cecil smirked. “Knew it. You do like him, don’t you?”

“... No. I mean, we’re… I don’t know. But we definitely aren’t doing anything like _that._ That would be ridiculous and gross. If we’re anything, we’re just acquaintances. We’re barely even friends yet,” Nico grumbled as Cecil turned the canoe and headed for shore. 

Will saw them coming and stood up, readying himself to grab the canoe when Cecil came rowing in. “Cecil?” he yelled. “You coming in?”

“Yeah.” Cecil weaved his way through the rocks and wedged himself in as Will grabbed the canoe. “Just had a little talk with our friend here.”

“You didn’t mess him up too badly, did you?” Will asked.

“Hope not,” Cecil responded, taking Will’s wrist as he pulled him up. 

“Good,” Will responded. Cecil stumbled as Will turned to Nico, reaching for his hand.

Nico blushed and took his hand, letting Will pull him up. He stumbled nimbly onto the shore, sitting down next to Will. “Yeah. I’m fine. We just had a little talk, that’s all.”

“Okay. Glad to hear you’re okay,” Will smiled. “And Cecil, are you okay? Not too filled up on donuts?”

“Naw. I’m okay. I was a little sick but I’m fine now. Don’t worry about me.” Cecil gave a cocky smile. 

Will returned it. “Glad you’re all right. And how about Lou? Is she okay?”

“She’s all right. I saw her and Kayla by the archery range before I came here.”

Will laughed. “Glad they’re happy.”

“Oh, believe me, I am too. Now, if you don’t mind, Connor and I are gonna race, so I have to go.” Cecil climbed back into the canoe.

“Need a push?” Will asked.

“I’d love one,” Cecil grinned. Will got on his hands and knees and shoved the little boat off of the rocks. Cecil pushed his paddle into the water and rowed off, giving a wave. “Thanks, man!”

“You’re welcome, Marky!” Will called.

Cecil shouted something indecipherable as he paddled off. Will laughed. “Yeah. If Cecil gives you any more cruddy nicknames, just call him Marky or Cece. He hates both of those.”

Nico’s lip twitched. “Thanks for the advice.”

Will lay back again and smiled, fixing his soft blue gaze on Nico’s face. “I know he’s annoying sometimes, but he has a good heart. Just trust me on this one.”

“I know. I hope you know he cares about you. The entire reason he wanted to talk to me was because he was worried that I wasn’t being nice to you.”

Will’s eyes widened. “... Really?”

“Really,” Nico replied. He turned away from Will’s eyes and looked at the ground beneath him. “I hope you know what it means to have a friend like that.”

“I do, trust me, I do. This kind of thing can be taken from you at any time when you’re a demigod. I thank the gods every day that Cecil and Lou Ellen and Austin and Kay are still alive,” Will said, his voice soft and sad. “I don’t know what I would do if any of them died. I don’t think I could keep living.”

“... I’m glad you’re aware. And, you know, good for you for the fact that all of your friends are still alive,” Nico mumbled.

“... Are you upset?” Will asked. 

“... No. I’m fine.”

“You clearly aren’t. You’ve been upset for half of the morning; please, just tell me what’s wrong,” Will requested.

Nico put his head in his hands. “I… I don’t know. Just a bad dream.”

“Must have been a really terrible one if it scared you like this,” Will commented concernedly. “What was the dream about?”

“... I was in a room with a man, a small man with crazy eyes. He was wearing a gold, glittery prom-style dress and he had an enormous golden sword. He had Reyna, Jason and Frank all tied up in front of him. ‘Someone’s going to die,’ he said. ‘I’m going to kill one of the three… so which one will it be? I’m taking back Rome, son of Hades… and it’ll take a lot of you to defeat me.’

“It was probably just a nightmare, but it was terrifying.”

“It sounds terrifying,” Will said soothingly. “Hey, though, it could have just been a nightmare. It might not mean anything.”

Nico took a breath. “But what if it _does_ mean something? I’m too far away to help if New Rome gets attacked. What if… Reyna is like a sister to me. I don’t think I could handle it if she died. Frank’s dating my sister. If he dies, she’ll break- I-I don’t want her to deal with that. Jason was kind to me. I don’t want him to get hurt.” Nico shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Will replied gently. “You needed that.”

“Thanks. I’m just… scared.”

“I know,” Will said softly. “All I can say is that we should wait and see what happens, okay? I don’t think there’s much else we can do at this point.”

Nico nodded. “O-okay.” His voice was feeble. 

Will reached for him. “Hey, can I give you a hug? It might make you feel better.”

Nico blushed hard. Will flustered him easily. “... In public?”

“Why not? No one’s looking,” Will responded with a smile. 

Nico blushed even harder. “But they _might_ look. I can’t risk it. Sorry.”

Will nodded. “I understand. Just... let me know if you change your mind.”

Nico looked at Will. His gaze was unusually gentle. “Okay. I will.”

Will noticed that softness, and his heart accelerated in his chest. Gods, he wished the younger boy would take a hug from him. “I’m glad you didn’t cut me off right at the start. Really, you don’t know how much I appreciate that. I mean, you don’t have to… to hang out with me. Honestly, I have no idea why someone like you is hanging out with someone like me,” he rambled.

 _‘Someone like me’? Oh. A Hades kid. Of course. A Hades kid shouldn’t be friends with anyone, much less an Apollo kid, much less a golden Apollo boy like Will._ Nico didn’t respond. His chest felt hollow. He should have known that Will wouldn’t want to be with him after he left the infirmary, but… why did it _hurt?_ He curled into himself and crossed his arms.

Will noticed this. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I… did I hurt you? Please, tell me how I hurt you. I don’t ever want to do that. Was it something I said?”

 _Should I tell him? Would he be upset?_ “... What did you mean when you said someone like you… shouldn’t hang out with someone like me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I meant that you’re really, really powerful and since I’m not, I don’t know why you’re hanging out with me,” Will explained sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck beneath his curls. 

Nico blushed. “Thanks, but… you’re powerful as a healer.”

Will laughed, but it sounded as fake as could be. “Yeah. I’m powerful where it doesn’t matter.”

Nico’s heart twisted and wrung itself into a knot. Why did he want to protest? Gods, he hated the way his heart got around Will. “... Half this camp owes you their lives, Will. Stop lying to yourself.”

Will didn’t know how to respond. “I… didn’t think I was lying.” 

Nico raised an eyebrow. “Well, you were.”

“Apollo kids have tells that go off when they lie deliberately, so no, I wasn’t lying.”

“Yes, you were, just not deliberately.” Nico paused. “What is the tell, by the way?”

“It varies from Apollo kid to Apollo kid.”

“What’s yours?”

“I sneeze when I lie. Loudly.”

Nico laughed. “Oh, gods. That’s terrible. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to walk through life unable to lie.”

“It’s not that I can’t lie, it’s just that I sneeze when I do. Hey, I mean, it could be worse, I could fall into a coma or piss my pants or something every time I lied,” Will was grinning ear to ear.

“Language!” Nico laughed. “But seriously, did anyone seriously wet themselves or pass out when they lied?”

“Lee Fletcher used to fall into comas when he lied. Never knew an Apollo kid that wet themselves, though.” Will’s grin melted.

Nico paused. He didn’t expect Will to talk about him so easily. “... That must have sucked for him.”

Will nodded. “Yeah. It did.”

There was a pause. Will kept his eyes trained on the ground. Nico wondered if he had done something wrong by asking about the Apollo kids' tells. "... Are you okay?"

"... Yeah. I'm fine. Just…" Will sighed and shook his head. "Sorry." 

"... Don't be," Nico said, hoping he sounded at least vaguely reassuring. "It's okay. I'm not mad." 

The pressure in Will’s chest eased up a bit. “Thanks.”


	3. "Magic's an iffy thing. It doesn't always work the way it should."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lou Ellen's magic skills get put to the test. Will it succeed or fail?

When nighttime came, Will, Austin, Lou and Kayla gathered in the Apollo cabin to start the experiment. Kayla was lying in her upper bunk, wrapped in blankets and half asleep. Lou was sitting on the bunk petting her hair as the two boys stood by. “Are you ready?” Lou asked.

Kayla nodded. Lou started chanting quietly with her hand resting on Kayla’s cheek. As the chanting progressed, Kayla’s eyes widened and she looked at her brothers, but didn’t say anything. Lou moved her hands to Kayla’s chest and kept going. Kayla’s head lolled a little and her face became very red, almost purple. Her mouth opened a little and she began to pant softly. Will pulled a bottle of water out of the minifridge in the corner and dripped some water on her forehead. “Lou, are you sure this is working the way it’s supposed to?”

Lou nodded and kept going for a few more minutes before pulling away. “That should work.”

“What do you mean, _should?”_ Austin asked, squinting at Lou.

“I mean, magic’s an iffy thing. It doesn’t always work the way it should,” Lou replied. “Even when the user does their part right, it’s not always perfect. Sometimes it just doesn’t take.”

Kayla raised her head weakly. “But… you do think it worked this time, right?”

“Gods, I hope so.” Lou shook her head. “I did my part. Frankly, the fact that you started heating up as much as you did doesn’t look good. If it doesn’t take, we’ll try something else.”

“Like what?” Austin snapped. 

“We haven’t tried medical marijuana yet,” Lou suggested.

“Okay, no, no, no,” Will started, purposefully cutting off Austin before he could express the pissiness that was clearly visible on his face. “No one’s doing drugs. Kayla, there are plenty of other things we can try. Therapy, for example. There has to be a demigod therapist out there somewhere. Or maybe we can try something else. I don’t know. But drugs are a _last_ resort, okay?”  
“Kayla won’t be doing drugs if I can help it,” Austin cut in sulkily.

Kayla giggled and looked at the wooden ceiling of the cabin. “Guys, chill. It was only a suggestion.”

“It was a shitty suggestion, that’s what it was,” Austin replied. 

“Okay, okay, okay, so maybe I was wrong and I said something stupid but all of you are attacking me more than I’m willing to take,” Lou giggled. 

Will shook his head. “You never did react appropriately to anything, did you, Lou?”

“Okay, maybe not, but it doesn’t matter,” Lou said. “I was only making a suggestion when I mentioned the weed.”

“Okay, okay,” Will conceded. “We’ll lay off of you. I’m gonna go take a quick shower, if that’s okay with everyone. Is it?”

“Yeah, it is. I’ll go after you,” Austin replied. “I’m gonna swab out my sax and put it to bed.”

“Put it to bed? It isn’t a baby, Austin,” Lou giggled. 

“You’re right. It’s better. It’s better than a baby because the noises it makes are sweet and pretty and it does whatever you tell it to. Also, it may not be a baby but it’s _my_ baby, so screw off,” Austin responded. 

“Okay, okay.” 

Austin walked to the back of the room as Will shut himself in the bathroom. He opened the case of the saxophone and began to take it apart with the utmost care. 

Lou turned back to Kayla as she turned to her side, curling up under the sheet. “I don’t understand how you can sleep under only a top sheet. Don’t you feel vulnerable?”

“Not with two older brothers in the room,” Kayla responded. “And frankly, I don’t know how you can sleep under such a thick comforter, even in summer. Doesn’t it feel suffocating to you?”

“No, not at all,” Lou responded. “In fact, it makes me feel protected. I know that probably sounds pretty stupid, but-”

Kayla nodded. “No, I understand. Differences make the world go ‘round.”

“Actually, gravity makes the world go ‘round. But I understand what you’re saying,” Lou replied, lying down and resting her head next to that of the younger girl. Lou could tell that Kayla was really tired. Lou smiled and hugged Kayla, and Kayla’s heart quickened and she blushed. 

“You okay?” Lou asked. 

Kayla nodded into Lou’s chest. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I’m just worried about you,” Lou said.

Kayla smiled. “Thanks.” Her eyelids fluttered and closed.

“You’re welcome.” Lou cuddled her for a few minutes more. Kayla’s small body was warm and it made Lou sleepy, especially after she had just used her powers like that. Fortunately, it had given Kayla some peace of mind, and that was what was important, right?

Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Kayla was beginning to pass out. Being with Lou Ellen made her feel safe. Even when Lou was stoned out of her mind and lying on the floor of Cabin 20 in a stupor, to Kayla she was perfect. She was part of home. 

Lou realized that she had to get back to the Hecate cabin if she didn’t want to sleep in the Apollo cabin that night, so she sat up. Kayla turned her head sleepily. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the Hecate cabin. If I stay here any longer I’m gonna fall asleep in your bed and you don’t want that, do you?” Lou responded.

“What if I do want you to fall asleep in my bed?”

Lou giggled. “Sometimes I forget how young you really are. If it’s okay with both of your brothers, I’ll stay.”

“What did that mean?” Kayla asked. “You know how old I am.”

“I know, but just with all the things you’ve done… you’re a kid, for Hecate’s sake. You shouldn’t have ever been sent into battle.” Lou shook her head and stroked Kayla’s soft hair. “You’re just a little kid.”

Kayla sighed and moved so her head was resting in Lou’s lap. “I’m not little. I’m almost twelve.”

“I know. However, most _sane_ armies don’t allow anyone under _eighteen_ to fight, much less an eleven year old.”

“I was ten when the Battle of Manhattan happened,” Kayla mumbled into Lou’s voluptuous thigh. 

“See? That’s what I’m saying! You’re way too young to go to war.”

“So are you,” Kayla mumbled. “You’re sixteen, and you were fifteen when the Battle of Manhattan happened.”

“I know… but… at least I’m a teenager…” Lou mumbled. Kayla didn’t respond. Lou sighed. “Austin, would it be okay with you if I spent the night in your cabin? Kayla wants me to stay with her.”

“I mean… sure,” Austin mumbled.

“You hate me, don’t you?” Lou asked.

Austin sighed. “No. I just think you’re a terrible influence on Kayla, that’s all. I mean, you said it best yourself. You forget how young she is and so you introduce her to things that… she doesn’t need to know about at all.”

“You’re only a year older than her,” Lou replied. “Stop acting like she’s so young and innocent.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Austin replied. There was a pause. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want anything to happen to her.”

“Because you love her.”

“Yeah. Because she’s my sister and we all love her,” Austin replied.

“Love you all too,” Kayla replied quietly.

Just then, Will poked his head out of the bathroom. “Guys?”

“What?” Austin replied. 

“I forgot pants.”

“The hell do you mean, ‘I forgot pants’?” Austin asked, half annoyed, half amused.

“As in, I have no pants in here and I thought I did. I’m naked right now. As in, my dick is hanging out.”

Austin rolled his eyes and grabbed a pair of pajama shorts and a T-shirt out of Will’s footlocker. Will took them in to the bathroom with him, dressed and came out. His hair was still wet from the shower and the shirt was a little small on him, so his belly was hanging out. Lou blushed. The shorts were pretty tight on him. “Sorry for that. I’m a retard,” Will giggled.

“You are retarded sometimes,” Austin replied. “Anyway, is it okay if Lou stays over? Kayla wanted her to stay.”

Will smiled. “Of course! Pick any bed you want.”

“My bed,” Kayla mumbled. 

“Hmm?” Will asked. 

“She’s sleeping in my bed,” Kayla repeated, a little louder. 

“Okay, honey,” Will said kindly. “Lou, are you okay with this?”

“Yeah, I’m fine with it,” Lou replied. 

“Okay,” Will replied. He turned and sat down on his bed. “Are you gonna go shower, Austin?”

“Yeah. Just let me finish putting my baby to bed,” Austin said. He gently put the sax body in its case, closed it up tenderly and put it in the corner.

“You gonna kiss it goodnight?” Will snarked.

“Already did,” Austin responded. He grabbed shorts and a shirt and entered the bathroom, leaving Will shaking his head behind him. Will clicked the main light off and lay down on his bed and pulled the unmade covers over his shoulders. 

“Your bed looks like a rats’ nest, Will.” Lou laughed. 

“Apollo’s patron animal is the mouse. Of course my bed looks like a nest,” Will replied. “We all have nestlike beds. It’s our nature.”

Lou looked around. Kayla’s comforter was twisted around the perimeter of the bed… like a nest. “You’re right.”

Will closed his eyes. “Anyway, I’m beat. Let’s go to bed, okay?”

“Okay,” Lou said.

Kayla nodded. “Mhm. Lou, aren’t you gonna lay down?”

“Yeah, just give me a minute.” She gently put Kayla’s head on the pillow and climbed down the ladder. She walked over to Will’s bunk and knelt next to him. Will’s eyes were closed and a faint glow was emanating from his body. She kissed his cheek, gently, and Will’s glow brightened. She smiled, returned to Kayla’s bunk and went to sleep against her side.

  


Lou was pulled awake suddenly by a scream. _What the fuck is going on?_ The adrenaline set in as the screams continued and she was fully awake in seconds. “What’s happening? Kayla, are you okay? Where’s Will? Where’s Austin?”

The younger girl grabbed her and buried her face in her chest. “It didn’t work,” she sobbed. “It didn’t work.”

The bunk shook suddenly and Lou turned her head. “What’s happening? Kayla, babe, are you okay?” 

_Thank the gods. Will’s so much better at reassuring people than me._ “I think she had another nightmare,” Lou replied. “The spell failed. I’m a shitty sorceress.”

“You can beat on yourself later, Lou. Kayla’s what’s important now.” Will gently extricated Kayla from Lou’s arms and held her against his own chest. She gasped and hiccuped as Will rubbed her back. “What did you see, honey?”

“It didn’t work.”

“I know that. What was your nightmare about, babe?” Will asked. 

“I saw it again.”

Will kissed her head gently. “What is it? What is the _it_ that you saw?”

Kayla gave a wail and shook her head. “Don’t ask me that. Just do the healing trick.”

“The healing trick?” Lou queried. 

Will buried his head in Kayla’s hair and took a deep breath. Kayla gave a little whimper and relaxed. When Will finally straightened, he took a deep shaky breath. “The trick where I take your pain and make you feel better for a little while.”

“Oh. Wait, you can do that?” Lou asked. 

“... I almost never use it, but yeah.”

“Why don’t you use it that much?” she asked again, softly.

Will’s eyes squeezed shut and he wrapped himself tighter around his sister. “There are a few reasons, but one of them, and by far this is the most selfish one, is because it really hurts. The other one is because past usages have scarred me for life. But I do it for the people that I really care about.”

“Of course. Do you… just feel raw emotion, or do you get memories too?” Lou asked.

“I get physical pain, emotional pain and painful memories. The whole deal,” Will replied, laying Kayla down on her pillow and stroking her hair.

“May I ask what you got out of Kayla?” Lou asked. “Kayla, is it okay if Will tells me?”

Kayla nodded. “I… I guess so… it’s not embarrassing or anything.”

“Okay,” Lou nodded consent.

Will took a breath. “I… we saw… Lou, you remembered how… how Michael died, don’t you?”

“Yeah. He died in a bridge collapse.”

“Well… you know I wasn’t there, I was helping… helping some others away from the scene, but Kayla was, and she… and she saw the whole thing,” Will mumbled, his voice cracking. “And so I see it too, every time she has nightmares about it.”

 _My poor sweet babies,_ Lou thought. _They don’t deserve this._ “... I’m so sorry, to both of you. I’m so sorry that the spell didn’t work. I’m so sorry.” She hung her head in shame.

“Don’t worry,” Kayla sniffled. “It’s not your fault.”

“I just hope you know that it’s not your fault either, Kay.” Lou wiped her eyes. “Magic is stupid. Half the time it depends on factors no one can control. Would it have worked if the receiver of the spell were someone else? Maybe. Would it have worked if I were a better sorceress? Probably. Would it have worked if my and Kayla’s hair hadn’t been dyed green? Maybe. Would it have worked if Kayla were older, or younger? No one knows. Magic is such a shitty thing.”

“You’ll get better at controlling it, Lou. And Kayla, we’re not out of options yet. There’s always a way to make things better.”

“Is that a promise?” Kayla asked.

Will paused. He didn’t like to make promises he wasn’t one hundred percent sure he could keep because it felt like lying, but it wasn’t wrong to lie to a child if it gave the child some hope for the future… right? “Yeah, that’s a promise.”

Kayla dried her eyes. “... Thanks.”

There was a pause. Lou looked around. “How did Austin sleep through all of this?”

“Guy sleeps like a rock,” Will responded. “The cabin could collapse around him and he wouldn’t wake up.”

Lou nodded. “Yeah. Some guys are like that.”

Kayla lay down and put her head on Lou’s lap. She still couldn’t get the image out of her head, Michael’s body falling, falling…

Lou heard her whimper and pet her hair gently. “I’m so sorry.”

Kayla buried her head in Lou’s thigh. “No, it’s not your fault.”

Lou sighed. “... Thanks, Kay.”

There was a pause. Kayla looked back up at Lou. “I… I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep again tonight.”

Will lay down on his back next to her. “What if you sleep in my bed? That helps you sometimes.”

Kayla nodded. 

“Here, you want me to carry you there?” Will’s voice was affectionate. 

Kayla nodded again. 

Will picked her up and carried her down the ladder to his bed, tucking her in. “There you go, darlin’.”

Kayla snuggled up in his blanket. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Lou, are you gonna stay in Kayla’s bed?”

Lou yawned. “Sure.” She lay down in Kayla’s bed and was fully snoring moments later.

Will lay down next to Kayla and pulled her to his chest, rubbing circles on her back. Kayla pushed her face into Will’s chest and hiccuped slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“‘Bout what?”

“For putting you through this almost every night.” She was crying.

“‘S not me who’s having the nightmares. Kay. Don’t worry about it.”

“... I still feel bad. I should… I should learn to deal with my own shit. I’m sorry.”

Will took a deep breath and patted her back. “Well, I’m not upset.”

“What about inconvenienced?”

“I don’t feel inconvenienced,” Will replied.

“I’m a nuisance, aren’t I?” Her voice broke.

“No! What the hell made you think that?” Will asked.

“I wake you up every other night at least,” she blubbered. “I see how tired you are all the time. That can’t be a coincidence.”

Will sighed. “... Kayla, I love you. I can be a little tired if it means I’m doing something good for you. It’s fine.”

“... Thank you,” she sniffled. 

Neither of them said anything more. Kayla cried herself out into Will’s shirt. Will’s chest was sturdy, soft, he was warm beyond warmth. She briefly thought about how lucky she was to have a brother like this. She didn’t know if anyone else would do this for her, night after night…

That was her last thought before she drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this will be the end of this fic. I hope it was okay. I know it's not as popular as "Infirmary" but I felt that it was still pretty good.

**Author's Note:**

> Like Infirmary, this WILL have more chapters. Nico and Will won't kiss or anything, though. I ship it as much as you do but it's pretty unrealistic that Nico will get romantic with Will this fast.


End file.
